To Know Wisdom and Instruction

In AD 1512, at a period in which the number of manuscripts copied in the Armenian language was relatively low, Hakob Meghapart (Jakob the Sinner) created the first Armenian Press in Venice, Italy, and published the first printed Armenian book, the Urbatagirk' (The Book of Fridays). His action inaugurated what would become a rich printed literary tradition and would lead to a rebirth of Armenian scholarship.

The Library of Congress has chosen to honor the 500-year anniversary of this milestone, and UNESCO's decision to designate Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia, as its World Book Capital 2012, with an exhibition of selections from its Armenian collections titled "'To Know Wisdom and Instruction': The Armenian Literary Tradition at the Library of Congress." That exhibition and this volume honor the Armenian literary tradition with items from the Armenian collections of the Library of Congress, which have been chosen to illustrate the varieties in the Armenian literary tradition.

The purpose of this volume is to celebrate that literary tradition, as well as the growing role of the Library of Congress as a major research center for Armenian and non-Armenian scholars who continue their studies in the various disciplines that delve into the past and present of the Armenian people and their neighbors.